London Super Comic Convention 2014: The Voyage Home

 

Now we've had a chance to settle back into reality, here are our thoughts on last weekend's event:

Stewart R: A successful opening, single February day event with Stan Lee as the guest of honour followed one year later by Neal Adams, J Scott Campbell, Herb Trimpe and Dan Slott making the trip over from the US for an expanded weekend convention in 2013 showed that the London Super Comic Convention could entertain the crowd-grabbing talent and strengthen on the lessons learned from hosting an event in a steadily growing and crammed convention schedule. Leading up to this past weekend there were hopeful positives along with a few bumps of doubt that had LSCC 2014 sitting in that ‘let’s see how this goes’ camp. While certainly a broad list of comic book writers, artists and publishers had confirmed their attendance, skimming through the growing list and timed announcements showed that perhaps the top industry names had elected to remain at home or confirm with events elsewhere. Brian Wood had been confirmed in the initial list of names, but unfortunately had to cancel and the wealth of European artists, working for Marvel particularly, seen the year before - Isad Ribic, Matteo Scalera, Gabrielle Dell’otto to name a few - were not seemingly making the repeat trip.

That said, names of note like Arthur Adams, Max Brooks, Jonathan Ross, Charlie Adlard and the returning Dan Slott were likely to get the diehard fans out while also appealing to those casual comic book reader who may recognise the odd name from other endeavours. The UK still seems unable to grab the organised attention of Marvel or DC for convention purposes, yet Avatar, IDW and BOOM! had all confirmed their presence which indicated that LSCC and the UK market was worthy of their attention and attendance. Certainly the previous two years had made a good impression on the PCG and in spite of various work, family and financial commitments a good few of us made it to the Excel to see how well the organisers could solidify their standing in the calendar.

The Road To London Super Comic Convention 2014

Matt C: Somehow we appear to be almost in March already, and with two months down in 2014 it’s time to take an advance look at the first comic convention the PCG are due to make an appearance at: the London Super Comic Convention.

For its third year the LSCC has shifted from late February to mid-March which will probably please those who experienced the bristling cold in 2013! I believe it’s the largest con purely devoted to comics in the country (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) and that kind of makes attendance a must due to the number of guests and exhibitors set to appear. It may not be the hippest con (Thought Bubble wins that prize, by a landslide it seems) but based on the last two years, even though its size can make it seem a little impersonal at times, it does offer more than enough to occupy both discerning comic book fan and the curious newbie. In other words, if you’re thinking of going too, make sure you’ve saved up a few quid, because there will be a multitude of different things available that will cause you to part with just about every penny you have!

London Super Comic Convention 2013: The Voyage Home

Now we've had a chance to settle back into reality, here are some thoughts from three of us on last weekend's event:

Matt C:  The big question hanging over the London Super Comic Convention last weekend was: could it make the same impact this year without the ‘Stan Lee Factor’? There’s little doubt that Stan The Man’s presence at LSCC 2012 brought in the crowds, and I imagine the organisers might have feared diminished attendance without him. They needn’t have worried though as the geeks and fanboys were out in force on Saturday and Sunday, meeting creators, scouring the back issue boxes and dressing in some impressively outlandish costumes. The lack of a guest on the same level as Mr Lee clearly meant that the budget for inviting creators from far and wide was increased, and so we saw J. Scott Campbell, Roy Thomas, Kieron Gillen, Herb Trimpe, Gary Frank, Neal Adams, David Hine, Bill Sienkiewicz, Rebekah Isaacs, Matt Hawkins, Brian Bolland and many more chatting to fans and signing the their name to just about anything thrust in front of them (a toaster!), none more so than Dan Slott, who seemed like an unstoppable signing machine with a never ending queue of eager acolytes. 

Working The Boxes: LONDON SUPER COMIC CONVENTION 2013 PREVIEW

In Working The Boxes we usually highlight any recent back issue purchases we've found buried in comic boxes or discovered on eBay that we think are worthy of further attention, but with a compliment of the PCG heading to the London Super Comic Convention this weekend (see our preview of the convention itself here) we thought we’d offer up a little insight of what gems we’ll be keeping our eyes out for as we plunge headlong into the longboxes of the numerous retailers.

Matt C: Like an old, creepy businessman, I’ve been lured away from my long time squeeze, the Bristol Comic Expo, in favour of a much, much younger model  in the form of London Super Comic Con for 2013. Yes, I know it may seem shallow, but the Bristol Expo isn’t what it used to be and if you can only shower your money on one of them, it’s going to be the one you know is going to show you a really good time. So, yes, for 2013 at least, I’m all yours LSCC!

The Road To The London Super Comic Convention 2013

Nearly a month into the new year, Stewart R decides it’s high time to take a look at the first of hopefully a handful of comic conventions that will be attended by the Paradox Comics Group in 2013.

 

Stewart R:  Last year's inaugural London Super Comic Convention was a real highlight of the industry calendar, coming in as the new kid on the UK convention block and instantly bringing with it a big, bold, competent and entertaining experience to push other more established events a little into the shadows. The creators showed up, the exhibitors and retailers showed up, Stan ‘The Man’ Lee showed up and the fans, well they turned up in force. The sight of that Saturday morning queue on a sunny February day in the London Docklands will stay with me for quite some time. Something tells me that a repeat viewing of such a sight may well be on the cards again this year come the weekend of 23rd February!

London Super Comic Convention: The Voyage Home

Now we've had a chance to settle back into reality, here are some thoughts on last weekend's events:

Matt C: Having been there on the first day of the inaugural London Super Comic Convention I can say without hesitation that it should be classed as a success. An impressive selection of guests, a huge amount of tempting merchandise, and a general feeling of enthusiasm for the medium permeating throughout the air meant that the Paradox crew left the ExCel tired but elated.

The major draw was, of course, the presence of Stan ‘The Man’ Lee, and various ticketing/queuing criteria meant only two of our group got our photos taken with the legend, while just one of us had a signature and a guaranteed space for Stan’s panel. Having been one the two to get a snap with him, I can say it’s one of those surreal, amazing moments that occurs all too infrequently throughout life (as my bemused expression in the photo demonstrates – and no, I’m not making it available for public consumption!). Obviously he was getting paid a significant amount of dough for his appearance (allegedly £120,000!) but even bearing in that in mind, you have to admire the amount of energy Stan put in to making himself available to his fans. I’m sure there are not many 89 year-olds kicking about that have that kind of stamina!

If you couldn’t get close to the former chairman of Marvel Comics there were plenty of other creators scattered about who, on the whole (mentioning no names!), were happy to chat to anyone who approached them. What people figured out fairly quickly was that while there were signing sessions organised throughout the day, most creators had their own table, so stopping my for an impromptu visit meant queues could often be avoided (although signatures were a little easier to get hold of than sketches!). Brief chats with Mike Carey, David Petersen and Fred Van Lente were are as far as I got this time, but seeing how easy it was to access these guys means next time I might bring a few books for potential signing.

Stewart R: Arriving at the event some 30 minutes after doors opened, three of our number breathed a sigh of relief that we were holding tickets that allowed us to speedily walk past the monumental queue that had formed, spanning the entire length of the gargantuan ExCel building (and then some) while the poor remaining trio had to join the throng and start counting the minutes and the paces. As to be expected with a debutant event there was a small amount of teething trouble revolving around what our differing passes allowed us to do in terms of expedited entry, but it didn't prove to be a blood-boiler and it's the kind of thing that can be ironed out with experience by organisers as the years go on. Before long we were all within the hall and within moments had spotted the much-mentioned Marvel legend partaking in his first signing session of the day.

I'd prepared myself to not see anything of Stan Lee for the entire day, having not purchased a VIP ticket and not being too keen on forking out for a photo with the legend, but there was something incredibly uplifting about spotting a godfather of comics sat only metres away as we collected our passes and wandered into the massive heart of the London Super Comic Convention. Essentially I, and everyone stood in that hall, creator, exhibitor and fan alike owed an awful lot to the 89 year-old sat diligently scribbling away - as he may have done some 50 years earlier to different ends - and by jove, I think we were all intent on celebrating what makes our hobby so great! I immediately did a tour of the entire hall to gather my bearings, establish where some of the best bargains might be found and locate those creators that I was hoping to collect a signature from.

The first thing I noticed was the number of people who had dressed specifically for the occasion; cosplayers were out in good numbers and the variety of characters was impressive, almost to the point where I was wishing I'd joined in (thankfully the logistics of the day meant I took the sensible choice). Everyone had put in a terrific amount of effort and no one was shy for the cameras, or afraid to chat about who they'd come as, even when dressed as the most villainous of comic book characters. Galactus was certainly the highlight for me (possibly robbed by Doctor Victor Von Doom at the inaugural Cosplay Contest) along with a convincing Hope and rather cute Valkyrie, and I have to say I've spent a good few minutes pondering on who I might possibly attend as should the mood catch me in coming years.

Matt C: I’ve never really paid that much attention to cosplaying before but I have to say I was mightily impressed by some of the costumes being paraded around, and being a red-blooded male I certainly didn’t have a problem seeing the likes of Black Cat and Supergirl strutting their stuff! Ahem. When I wasn’t being, er, distracted by Scarlet Witch or Catwoman, the merchandise was where it was at. No matter how much cash you came with, chance are you burnt right through it. There was just that much great stuff on display. A bunch of Captain America issues (for the most part, 50p a pop) ended up in my bag along with other miscellaneous items and to be honest I could have easily kept going if I didn’t have any self-restraint, along with the fact that I needed to carry my haul around me all day (thank God they had masseurs on hand – yes, really!).

I’m reluctant to bring up any criticism as this was a first time event and it was such a resounding success, but if I was to pick something it would be the spacing between the aisles that resulted in regular human gridlock (not pleasant when you remember that certain comic fans aren’t especially concerned with body odour!). There was a massive empty space in the hall that could have been utilized but this is a minor quibble and not something that would have me clamouring for my money back. I would also say the panels (the ones I could get into at least!) didn’t really appeal too much, but I can imagine once word gets out and there’s (hopefully) and increased creative attendance in 2013 (apparently, the organisers have said the have someone comparable to Stan lined up!) we’ll be looking at much more variety, a lot more high profile guests and maybe some genuine exclusive announcements when LSCC returns next year. And yes, I most definitely will be back for more!


Stewart R: I'll echo Matt's concerns with the spacing of the exhibitor aisles as it really did get far too cosy at some points which seems a little crazy considering the space available. With just about enough room for five people to stand next to each other from one side to the other there were some uncomfortable bottlenecks and jams, especially when everyone is carrying bags and dragging cases bulging with comic book purchases. That is however, an issue that only ever gets fixed with time and considering the evident popularity of the London Super Comic Convention - it’s estimated some 8000 people turned up the first day! - and general amount of space that can be available in future years should they return to the ExCel, I suspect this might well be addressed next time around. In any case I was still able to get all 'elbows out' at certain points, digging through the long boxes and returning with some early (#4-12) X-Men Vol 2 issues for 50p a time, as well as a couple of missing Silver Surfer and Green Lantern Corps comics that I'd a suspicion were missing from my collection.

My favourite random moment of it all had to be when myself and James R were just strolling past the exhibitors and publishers lined up along the far wall, stopping not a couple of feet away from Nick Roche drawing a Transformers commission for someone. Having stood there for a couple of seconds I turned around just in time to see a young boy, maybe 8 years old, look to the ceiling, yell ‘IDW, YES!’, fist pump in triumph and then bound up to the stall. That little display of mirth-inducing excitement captured the feeling of the crowd and staff perfectly; this was a day about celebrating comic books, in the company of other fans, one living legend, real-life twins dressed as Scott Pilgrim and a guy in a homemade Thing suit, and I don’t think that anyone in that hall hadn’t done their own little mental fist-pump at some stage since they entered that room.

Looking back through this review it seems a little unfair that we’ve mentioned any slight problems or niggles about this event. What I’ve brought away from my very first London-based comic convention is the memories of a truly superb day. There were so many smiles upon faces on either side of a table or longbox, there was a brilliant buzz hour after hour in the mammoth hall, and even when it came to spending a few minutes outside relaxing by the water in the sun there were still comic book fans wandering around, all soaking in the day with great enthusiasm. In these incredibly testing times for the industry that we love it’s heartening to see the organisers of the London Super Comic Convention make such a success of a weekend at their first try, keeping it simple and fun and ensuring that as the Paradox Comics Group stepped out of the ExCel Centre at the end of the day we all pretty much turned to each other and said ‘Same time next year then?!’ Oh yes please!

The Road To London Super Comic Convention

There may be a lightweight offering of reviews this weekend as the Paradox Comics Group are heading to the Big Smoke to assemble for the inaugural London Super Comic Convention. Below, Stewart R and Matt C offer some thoughts on what to expect:

Stewart R: This year is speeding on at a relentless pace and so we find ourselves on the verge of the new comic convention in town opening its doors to the willing public. This will be only my second new convention experience after the Bristol Comic Expo and the prospect of the early morning coach trip – in the company of the mighty Paradox Comics Group – up to the capital for the London Super Comic Convention is a mouthwatering one. The ExCel Centre looks to be a huge venue capable of holding many a comic box, commission-drawing artist and costumed fan, and I'm looking forward to doing the whirlwind tour amongst them all.

Matt C: I went to the ExCel back in 2007 for the Star Wars Celebration Europe and it certainly is a big place, so hopefully it’ll be rammed with fantastic merchandise, top creators and back issues galore. I’ve been a regular attendee of the Bristol Expo for the past decade but as that has started to diminish over the last few years there have been several new players arriving on the scene, but it’s taken the appearance of the London Super Comic Convention to convince me I need to expand my convention horizons. Beyond the fact that it’s only a couple of hours away what really swung it was the rather impressive guest list the organisers have rustled up. To be fair, some guys I would have liked to have seen (Rick Remender, Steve Epting) have dropped out, but considering a lot of UK conventions only manage to draw a handful of creators over from the States, the number that are showing up this weekend suggests the people behind the LSCC have a fair bit of clout. That’s highlighted by what’s undoubtedly their greatest coup: the attendance of Stan ‘The Man’ Lee!


Stewart R: The presence of Stan Lee at the show really does instantly elevate the LSCC into the premier league of British, nay, International comic conventions and the organisers have done the sensible thing of focusing much of their marketing push towards the attendance of the Marvel legend to raise the profile of the event. The first UK attendance for the revered writer in 40 years really is something special and it’s given the prelude to the show a really exciting boost. Some may baulk at the commercialised aspect of the priced VIP ‘Tier’ system that has been employed to allow those fans with the desire and the relative green to see the man himself the ability to do so, but it does make perfect sense and should allow the visit of one of the industry’s true greats to proceed with sufficient fanfare without everything being about the queuing in order to see him - if you don’t have the additional ticket you can just carry on and immerse yourself in the rest of the awesomeness knowing that your chance of bumping into the living legend is pretty minimal. There’s no way that’ll ruin your day with everything else that’s going on.

Matt C: As is always the way with these things, it’s worth having a budget and a general idea of what you’re after, merchandise and back issue wise. If it is back issues you’re looking for, believe me when I say it’s definitely worth bringing some sort of list with you. I can’t count the occasions I’ve returned home to find I’ve picked up copies of comics I already have. It helps save a few pennies! If it’s signatures you’re after, there’s a wide selection of creators, from old timers to current favourites, so I guess you can say there’s something (someone?) for everyone. Personally I’m not usually one to queue up for signatures, but I notice David Petersen is making an appearance, and I wouldn’t say no to his scrawl across my copy of the debut issue of Mouse Guard! Other than that, I’m going to play things by ear and see what’s on offer, hopefully avoiding parting with too much cash, and just having a grand old time with the Paradox crew submerging myself in my favourite hobby!

Stewart R: I for one love the fact that the organisers have managed to lure Stan the Man over the pond, but there are plenty of other creators I’m looking forward to seeing, maybe to get a signing from and a shake of the hand. Transformers UK royalty Simon Furman and Andrew Wildman are top of the list and I’ll certainly be dusting off an issue or two of one of my all-time favourite series for the trip up to London on the off-chance that they might grace a cover with their signatures. I’ll also be looking forward to seeing their involvement with IDW this weekend and it’s good to see at least one of the top publishers has seen fit to send a decent contingent over to sell their wares to the comic loving public. As for back-issues, I’ve a few gaps here and there that I know need attention - I’ve patchy collections of Scalped, Green Lantern Corps and Silver Surfer Vol 2 that could do with filling out - but in some ways the fact that I’ll be limited in terms of volume I can carry should free to just enjoy the atmosphere and soak in the day!